


The Case of the Bratty Werewolf

by jessie_cristo



Series: Fic Challenges [7]
Category: Actor RPF, Supernatural RPF
Genre: Alpha Jared Padalecki, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Claiming Bites, Conservation, Implied Mpreg, M/M, Mating Bond, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Omega Jensen Ackles, Post Mpreg, Werewolf Mates, Werewolves, Wolves, Zoo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-10
Updated: 2020-12-10
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:27:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 17,508
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27991500
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jessie_cristo/pseuds/jessie_cristo
Summary: Jared is sent in to rescue a seventeen-year-old Omega taken captive by humans.Should be an easy job!He soon finds that NOTHING about Jensen Ackles ever comes easy.🤦🏻♂️
Relationships: Jensen Ackles/Jared Padalecki
Series: Fic Challenges [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1245236
Comments: 32
Kudos: 452





	The Case of the Bratty Werewolf

**Author's Note:**

  * For [J2_Girlz](https://archiveofourown.org/users/J2_Girlz/gifts).



> HUGE thanks to my Betas: cyncitymojo & Jerzcaligrl  
> Alpha Reader: dwimpala 
> 
> I was first inspired by the prompt below, but then the story sorta 'shifted' on me and turned into something else. Thus the 'name change'. LOL  
> 

**PROLOGUE**

**S.P.A.R. (Search Protect Assist & Rescue) Headquarters  
Five years earlier…**

Jared’s right leg was twitching excitedly again. However, sitting at the large, stone oval table as he was, it wasn’t apparent to anyone else except for maybe the woman sitting to his right.

He’d trained long and hard for two years to get a seat at this very table and now that the time was finally here, Jared was raring to go.

Growing up in an orphanage hadn’t been as bad as most people thought. He’d been lucky to be taken in by one of the better Were orphanages in the entire country.

Director Samantha Smith and all of her staff had truly wanted the best for the children in their care. When Jared had turned eighteen, it had been Smith who’d gotten him an interview with Jeffrey Dean Morgan, the leader of SPAR.

After some initial testing; intellectual, psychological, and physical, SPAR had paid for Jared to attend college as a Business major, with a minor in Languages.

Morgan had even introduced Jared to Keanu Reeves. A martial arts and weapons master who’d nearly killed Jared when he put him through a battery of tests to determine if he’d accept Jared as a student.

He’d spent an additional four years learning from Sifu (Master) Reeves until he was deemed ‘acceptable’ by him.

So it was at the young age of twenty-four that Jared was once again put through a SPAR testing (a much more grueling one), which he passed with flying colors, and was subsequently hired as a SPAR operative.

This was his first official SPAR meeting.

It would prove to be the start of how Jared would later gain a well-deserved and respected reputation.

To the shock of everyone at the table, with the exception of Morgan and Reeves, Jared was picked to go undercover on a rescue mission.

A twelve-year-old female, on the cusp of puberty, had been kidnapped by humans that were part of a militant cult.

Weres are unable to shift until they hit puberty. It was also around that time that they presented as one of three Were genders. Alpha, Beta, or Omega. Females and males could present as either Alpha or Beta, but Omegas were always male. They were rare and treasured among most packs all over the world.

Having a Were child in human hands was bad enough, but the girl had shown indications of hitting puberty, which meant she’d also be going through her first shift. Too much of a risk of exposing werewolves to humans, which is something all Weres strove to never do.

Because the cult had only accepted or kidnapped young children, Jared was picked to do the mission because of his youthful looks. 

With the right haircut and clothing, he easily passed for a seventeen-year-old homeless and desperate boy. He was a prime target for the cult.

Everything went according to plan. He played the down-on-his-luck runaway on the streets of the town closest to where the female Were had been snatched. Jared had been approached within hours into the operation.

Christian Kane, twenty-nine years old and a four-year veteran of SPAR, was assigned as Jared’s Handler, while twenty-six-year-old Kate Beckinsale was their Tech Support.

Both were black-haired and blue-eyed and if Jared hadn’t been told outright that they weren’t related, Jared would have assumed they were brother and sister. Especially with how they constantly bickered.

It turned out that the two had actually been a couple and were partners in the past. She claimed he’d cheated on her with another agent, while he insisted it wasn’t cheating if the person he left her for was his lifemate.

Just a year prior to Jared joining SPAR, Chad Michael Murray, a boy genius recruited straight out of college for SPAR’s Intelligence Office as a Master Strategist, joined Morgan’s team, then mated with Christian in less than an hour after they’d met.

It had caused quite a controversy because well-oiled teams and strong partnerships were a high priority for SPAR agents.

Those in charge had entertained the idea of forcing Chad out of the agency and of Chris’ life, only because Chris and Kate had been sort-of a dream team for the agency in past missions.

It had taken Morgan’s and Reeves’ adamant backing to get the higher-ups to allow Chad to stay. It was also Reeves who’d put it as simply and as compellingly as he could to finally convince the Big Dogs to leave the new couple be, by stating that they either allowed Murray, a gifted strategist, to stay or lose him and Kane both. Theirs, was a true mating after all.

The locked vote had quickly turned in favor of accepting Murray into the organization.

There was, however, nothing anyone could do to assuage Kate’s bitterness, other than to make sure to keep her and Chad as far apart as possible.

Kate had a hair-trigger temper and Chad had a way of getting under anyone’s skin. When the two crossed paths and went at it, Christian was usually caught in the middle.

Jared would feel sorry for the guy, but the snarky attitude Christian often used on Jared never failed to get on Jared’s nerves, so he took great pleasure in watching Christian struggle in his personal life.

Despite the drama, the three of them managed to pull off their mission with near perfection.

They’d not only rescued the girl, but they’d also managed to gather enough evidence to anonymously report the cult to human officials so that the place was raided and closed down within a week. All the other children on the compound were taken into Child Services or returned to their families. The adults had been tried, found guilty, and incarcerated with lengthy sentences.

Since then, Jared had been tapped to work any cases involving children. He had a knack with them that the others didn’t.

He didn’t notice that as time went by, even with his ability to still work well with children, Jared had grown hard and bitter as he witnessed each and every atrocity done to the children he rescued.

His bosses and his friends in the agency all noticed it, though. If it weren’t for them, Morgan and Reeves thought that Jared would’ve burned himself out by the time he reached his fourth year as a SPAR agent.

The team was like a tight-knit unit, a family of sorts. And even Jared admitted that if he didn’t have this unorthodox family, he’d be lost.

So when a new mission came in involving the kidnapping and imprisonment of a seventeen-year-old Omega, everyone knew Jared would get the job.

But when it came to who would be his support team on the mission, those who weren’t already on missions of their own fought over who would go with Jared.

Jared was so good at his job that anyone he teamed up with usually returned with high marks as well, and their careers often took off soon after working with Jared.

In the end, it had been Morgan and Jared who had to choose.

Intel on the mission predicted it to be an easy one because the perps were humans who had no real clue as to what they had trapped. 

Jared asked for Kate as his Tech Support and the new kid, Michelle Rodriguez, as their Runner.

He was considered a veteran in the group and so didn’t need guidance on his missions anymore. He ran his own operations, while those that went with him were usually just for support and back up.

On the morning of the mission, Morgan held one last briefing to be sure everyone was up to date and ready to fly in if for any reason Jared and his team ran into trouble.

Jared was to infiltrate, locate, and extract one Jensen Ackles; a seventeen-year-old Omega who’d disappeared from his family farm the day after he’d presented.

A week after, a wolf from another pack near the Yellowstone Conservation Park reported seeing a young Omega wolf that matched Jensen’s description, in one of the Park’s exhibitions.

The good samaritan was an Alpha that had gone into the park in human form pretending to be a tourist, in an effort to try and talk to the young Omega. But the young werewolf had fled from him and avoided him from then on.

The alpha had then returned to his Pack and reported the encounter with his Pack Alpha.

The Alpha had known of a missing omega and so had contacted the Ackles Pack. It was then that the Ackles Alpha contacted Director Morgan.

Jared had rescued children from humans before, but it had mostly been from private homes or abandoned properties.

The Yellowstone Conservation Park was massive, covering thousands of acres. Keeping their kind a secret from the humans was foremost on every Were’s mind and with so much open ground around the conservancy, keeping the Were secret would be harder than usual.

So, to infiltrate a place that probably had widespread security measures, plus the sheer number of humans that worked and visited the Park every day was daunting.

But Chad came up with a plan and no one saw any reason why it wouldn’t work.

The time had finally come.

With a plan, supplies, and a confident backup team, Jared set out to rescue Jensen Ackles.

**ONE**

It would’ve been impossible for Jensen not to have noticed the new wolf. Even if he, definitely a male, was being held in the quarantine pen that was more than fifty yards away. There was just no way to miss a wolf of that size.

Especially because until this new wolf came, Jensen had been the largest wolf in the entire complex.

There were real wolves, wolf-dogs, and even some full coyotes and coy-dogs at the Yellowstone Park Wolf Conservancy. Jensen had been the largest of them all.

Not that he’d ever used his size for anything other than to get the largest share of the food and to ensure he wouldn’t be bullied for any reason.

Jensen didn’t consider himself forceful, and usually tried to avoid confrontations, but he’d learned fast how the animal world in this Park worked. 

There was a hierarchy and no one, not even Jensen, wanted to be at the bottom.

Jensen was perfectly happy being third or fourth on the rung. His size and status ensured he wouldn’t be bullied, not even by the few who were higher than him. They respected his size enough to not risk going against him and possibly losing.

Especially since Jensen didn’t seem to want to take the top dog status from them anyway.

It also helped that the lead pair, the Alpha half-wolf Jimbo and his half-wolf mate, Martha, had taken a liking to Jensen. 

But with this new wolf, Jensen worried that his status would drop lower and force him to make an effort to stay among the top-ranked.

When Jensen had let himself get caught a few miles away from the Park, wearing a collar with his name on it so that they wouldn’t try to tack some stupid name on him, he’d been classified as one of the rarest of wolf breeds.

Jensen’s full wolf form was a Mackenzie Valley Wolf, also known as the Canadian Timber Wolf.

The veterinarians that worked for the Park had been excited to see him and after he’d let them test his blood (already aware that when a Were was in full wolf or full human form, their bodies would present as human or wolf in all ways. Even in their DNA.) 

It was only when a Were was in their traditional werewolf (or midway) form that samples taken from them would show abnormalities. 

Twice they’d brought him female timber wolves to breed, but even if Jensen was an Alpha instead of an Omega, Weres didn’t mate with pure wolves.

Most Weres respected pure wolves, but they were still considered animals, and bestiality wasn’t something Jensen was into.

It was all moot anyway since every pure wolf they tried to mate with Jensen wanted nothing to do with him. One or two had even snapped and snarled at him when he tried to make friends.

Weres might respect them, but pure wolves knew that Weres were not completely natural and were either afraid or aggressive, at first.

To the surprise of their caretakers, it was the mixed breeds, unofficially called the Crossbloods by the park staff, that Jensen seemed to get along with best. 

Jensen theorized that the wolf-dogs and coy-dogs could sense the human side of Jensen and because they were more inclined to like humans, they accepted Jensen into their ranks.

Maybe it was because he was a type of mixed breed himself.

So Jensen had worked out a daily life at the Park, bonding and becoming part of the Crossbloods. Enjoying having nothing to do all day, every day, while his every need was catered to by the humans.

Sure, the nearby forests still called to him, and he sometimes craved a variety in his diet, but he had a really large enclosure that had trees of its own, and companions to help pass the day and prevent him from feeling totally alone.

What Jensen’s parents and his pack, in general, didn’t know was that Jensen had never liked the idea that Omegas were only as good as how well they mated and how many pups they could have in their lifetime.

Sure, he acknowledged the venerable role Omegas held in the survival of the Were species, but their population hadn’t been in danger of extinction for almost a century now.

He also didn’t like having to hide his animal side for most of the year and chafed at the once-a-year wolf runs his family did in the mountains that were a part of their packlands.

At least here he didn’t have to worry about Alphas trying to mate him and keep him barefoot and pregnant all the time. At the same time, he didn’t have to rough it out in the wilds.

Even if he wanted to let loose his wolf more, he was still a child of his times and had nearly no training on how to stay alive in the wilds, alone.

So when his Biology teacher had taken Jensen and his entire class on a field trip to Yellowstone Park and the Conservatory, Jensen had been ecstatic.

Especially when he learned, during the tour, all that the Conservatory did for the wolves under their care. His teacher had been pleased with how he’d broken out of his normally shy demeanor and had asked question after question from the two guides that had been leading them that day.

On the bus ride home, however, Jensen started devising a plan. A plan to get out from under his parent’s rule and the Were society’s control.

So, for the past few months, Jensen had been at the Conservancy, living the life he’d always wanted. Sure, he’d basically traded one breeding program for another, but at least here, he couldn’t be forced or guilted into mating.

He got to run, play, and sleep like a wolf as much as he wanted without someone constantly warning him to be careful and setting limitations on how long he could remain in his wolf form.

He had food brought to him, shelter if the weather went bad, he had friends and he was even starting to like the Park Keepers. They were a dedicated bunch who seemed to truly care for the animals under their care and also seemed to love their jobs.

But with the addition of this new and larger wolf, Jensen couldn’t help but wonder if his idyllic life was about to change. He wasn’t stupid, he knew nothing in life ever stayed the same, but the wait to see if this change would be good or bad was nerve-wracking.

Jensen wasn’t sure if he could wait the mandatory 30-day quarantine period to find out. But waiting was all he could do.

**TWO**

_Yellowstone National Park Main Office - Conference Room B_

“Thank you to the staff of Park Planning & Projects for their excellent work. Now, also under Projects, we’ll be hearing a report from the Murie Foundation Wolf Conservancy Team. Up first is Director Ty Olsson.”

DJ Qualls watched as his boss rose from his seat near the head of the long conference table and stalked toward the podium at the front of the room. 

Yes... stalked. 

It was how Ty Olsson always walked. He never seemed like he was in a hurry, but he always moved with a purpose with no wasted movements. Even when he was jogging or sprinting.

It was one of the many ways that Ty Olsson reminded DJ of the wonderful animals they cared for.

Since his first day, about a year ago, when DJ joined the Murie Team, Olsson had reminded DJ of an Alpha wolf. 

A man that demanded respect without forcing it out of others. A man others wanted to follow but not fawn over, because they could sense that he wasn’t the type of leader that required any amount of adulation.

He was everything DJ had always wanted in a man, but knew he could never have.

Even if DJ had flawless skin, a nice smile, and a strong body, DJ knew that his bland, brown hair, too-large nose, and a one-step-up-from-skinny physique would never appeal to a gorgeous, bearded, blue-eyed, man’s man like Ty Olsson.

So DJ had learned to accept what he could get. Warm smiles and the occasional pats on the back from Ty.

As Olsson began his report, DJ settled back into his chair at the far end of the table; ready for when he was called upon for his input.

At his side, his partner Felicia Day nudged his arm with one bony elbow. “Don’t stare too hard or you might set him on fire.” she whispered.

DJ shot her an admonitory look before checking to see if any of the others seated near them had heard her. He then turned his attention back to the front of the room just as Ty began to speak.

Dressed in a light blue button-down that perfectly matched his eyes, Ty looked around at everyone and flashed a friendly smile.

“I’m happy to report that all eighteen of the wolves under our care are healthy and thriving. We’ve got three bitches in heat, all of them are doing really well. Lobo - male, two-year old, one of the Purebloods - has settled down well with Maggie in the Crossbloods pen. We haven’t had an incident with either since Lobo was moved in with them.”

Jim Beaver, the head of the Board, sat forward in his chair to fix Ty with a serious and inquisitive look. “How is Jensen coming along? I heard he was finally eating properly.”

“Which one was Jensen again, and why wasn’t he eating?” asked Kim Rhodes as she rifled through her copy of the meeting’s agenda.

Ty smiled patiently at Kim as he answered. “Jensen is the rare Mackenzie Valley wolf we captured three months ago. MV wolves or Canadian Timber Wolves are the largest breed of wolves in the world. They are also the most endangered, with only a couple hundred running free in the wilds of Northern Canada.”

“I’m sorry Ty, refresh my memory again. If this wolf, Jensen, is from Canada, how did he get all the way here to Yellowstone?”

“It’s believed that he probably escaped from an illegal Collector. Especially since he had on a pretty expensive collar with his name engraved on it.”

“But no one has come forth to try and claim him?”

“Any Collector worth his salt knows they’d go straight to jail if they were caught with any kind of wolf, let alone a rare and endangered timber wolf. No one would be stupid enough to confess they used to own him.”

Jim cut in, brusque but confident. “But there is a high risk they might try to _steal_ him back, so Ty and his team have upped the security around the entire Wolf Conservatory.”

“Yes.” Ty agreed, with a nod, his expression now grim. “When Jensen first got here, we had obvious attempts to break in on multiple occasions. But they have since stopped.”

“Ah, that’s good. With him being a rare Mackenzie Valley wolf, that was to be expected. Keep up the security, they could just be waiting for it to go lax or are searching for a weakness they can exploit. Now, what was this about him not eating?”

“Yes, we will definitely be keeping up the security. As for Jensen’s eating, for the first week, he refused everything we brought him. We tried the wolf chow, dog chow, freshly slaughtered beef, poultry, pork, and he wouldn’t eat a bit of it.

We ran every test under the sun but there was nothing wrong with him. He just refused to eat anything we brought him.

Then, a week into his time with us, a teen threw his Burger King burger over the fence, despite all the signage about not feeding the animals. 

Jensen ripped off the paper and scarfed that burger down quicker than you could blink. Upon seeing that, the other kids tossed him their burgers as well, and Jensen ate ‘em all.”

“You’re not saying you’ve been feeding that wolf burgers all this time, have you?!” Beaver grumbled in disbelief.

“No SIR!” DJ called out without realizing he was going to. He glanced at Ty, remorse in his gaze, but the blue-eyed handsome man just smiled and nodded at DJ to continue.

“Sorry for speaking out of turn. I’m in charge of feeding Jensen every day and I can guarantee I do not feed him burgers.”

Beaver grumbled, but gave the younger man a smile. “Board recognizes Zookeeper DJ Qualls. Olsson, you done?”

“Pretty much, Sir.”

“Then the board calls Qualls up to the front to further explain.”

Smiling encouragingly at DJ, Olsson returned to his seat as DJ made his way up to the podium. As soon as he got there, Beaver hmphed and nodded at DJ to continue.

“Sir, it’s not primarily the burger that got Jensen to eat, Sir. He went after it because it was cooked. Jensen prefers cooked food. We’ve since adapted a menu for him that includes cooked meat, grains, and vegetables.”

“Rare or not, that is one spoiled wolf.” Beaver chuckled, clearly amused.

“We thought maybe his former owners raised him on cooked food, but…”

“But what?”

“The new wolf we caught nearly a month ago is the same way.”

“The new wolf, Jared, was his name if I recall?” Kim interjected. “He’s a Mackenzie Valley wolf, too?!”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“And he came with a collar as well?”

“Yes, he did. Only his was plain leather, no adornments.”

Looking perturbed, Kim sat back in her chair and dropped her pen on the table, making a distinct clatter. “Someone out there is either trapping wolves or breeding them. How else can we get not one, but _two_ MV wolves in less than a year.”

“We’re working with the police to investigate that possibility.” Ty cut in.

“Whoever they are, they may have a lot of nerve to hold endangered wolves in captivity, but they must also be completely incompetent to lose two of them in such a short time span.” Jim then nodded at DJ, mumbling a thanks for his report.

As DJ made his way back along the table to get to his seat, Ty shot him another smile and warm look.

DJ fought to keep down the blush he could feel wanting to climb up his neck and into his face, even as Jim called up the next department head to make their report.

Before the next speaker could start, Kim raised her hand and turned to fix Ty with an inquisitive look.

“With the addition of another MV wolf, do you think the attempted break-ins might spring up again?”

Ty easily replied. “It’s a possibility, Ma’am. As I said earlier, we’ve taken steps to improve our security. Along with the patrols and increased security staff, we’ve also set up a state-of-the-art video surveillance system that covers the entire preserve. We’ll have 24-hour coverage and we’ll be able to see almost every inch of the compound.”

Jim reached over to pat Kim’s hand, reassuringly. “I was there when they installed the cameras. Ty has got it squared away. There is nothing, and I mean _nothing_ those cameras won’t see.”

**THREE**

Jensen watched with unease as DJ, Ty, Felicia, and a slew of volunteers made their way to the quarantine pen.

He’d been counting down the days and planning for the worst-case scenario.

Jensen knew he could take any natural wolf, but he admired them so much he really couldn’t stand to hurt any of them.

But just like with people, wolves came with all kinds of personalities and quirks. He hadn’t met an Alpha among the natural wolves that he couldn’t handle yet, but nothing in life was guaranteed.

Alphas and their tendency to try and dominate him was the one thing Jensen worked hard at avoiding.

Something about this new Alpha had the fur along the ridge of his back bristling and standing on end. Something about him had Jensen very nervous, yet also excited.

**+++++++++++++++++++++++**

Ty Olsson was working late finishing up his daily log when the sound of running feet went by outside the door of his office. He could also just barely make out the sound of raised, excited voices.

Rising quickly from his desk, Ty moved to yank open his door just as DJ Qualls went running by.

“Hey DJ! What’s going on?” he called out to the younger man.

DJ stumbled when he heard Ty and would’ve fallen flat on his behind if Ty hadn’t leaped forward to catch him.

Ty stared down into the smaller man’s brown eyes and grinned. “Slow down there, buddy. I’d hate to see ya get hurt.”

DJ was well aware of how loud his nervous swallow was and he could tell just by the heat suffusing his face, that he was blushing up a storm.

Just then, a shout came from further down the hall, and a second later Felicia stuck her head out into the hall. Her red pigtails flopping about as she did a double-take then leered exaggeratedly.

“Nice damsel in distress pose, guys. But Comic-Con already passed and you’re both just a little overdressed.”

It was then that Ty realized he was leaned over holding the much smaller DJ cradled in his arms. The junior zookeeper’s body was plastered to his own, from thigh to chest. He could feel DJ’s chest heaving as he stared up at Ty with a glazed expression.

“Uh, are you okay? You didn’t hurt yourself, did you?” Ty asked, blinking repeatedly when his gaze locked on DJ’s softly parted lips.

Ty bit back a groan when DJ licked his lips before answering. “N-no. I’m… I’m fine.”

Shaking his head as if to regain his senses, Ty straightened up then helped DJ to regain his footing. “So um… what’s going on? What were you two running for?”

DJ just blinked as his mouth opened and closed as if he were trying to speak but couldn’t.

Felicia laughed as she stepped out of the room she was in and leaned against the frame of the door. “I think he’s gonna need a few more seconds. Why don’t you come and see what we did? We were gonna tell you if it worked, anyways.”

Ty tore his gaze from DJ who was returning to a more normal color, as opposed to the bright red he’d been a couple of seconds ago. Ty gave a little sigh of regret, having just realized he liked it when DJ blushed.

“See what? What did you guys do?”

This time it was DJ who answered. The younger man having regained his senses. “If you recall in the updates I’ve sent you, since Jared was moved into the Purebloods’ pen, he escaped it three nights in a row and we found him hanging out near the Crossbloods’ area, trying to get in.”

“Yes, I remember that.”

“Well, we haven’t been able to figure out how he’s been getting out, so last night Fee and I put out two motion sensor hidey cams that we use for the hiking trails. We put a boulder-cam near the Purebloods’ pen, and the owl-cam up in a tree right next to the Crossbloods’ pen.”

“Okay, that was a great idea.”

“Yeah, it was totally DJ’s genius idea.” Felicia smirked then winked at DJ, who was fighting not to blush again. “But we just got notified that both cameras were activated and we were running to see the monitors. Care to join us?”

**+++++++++++++++++++++++**

Jared had been out of quarantine and put in with the Purebloods for a week now and he was nowhere closer to completing his mission than he was when he first got here.

For the first two days, he’d had to take on every Pureblood Alpha in his enclosure to establish his dominance. From the lowest-ranked to the highest.

The top-ranked Alpha was named Hercules and Jared could see why right from the start. Hercules was a massive Great Plains Wolf in shades of long brown, red, and tan fur with a stocky and muscular build. His breed used to hunt bison, elk, and other big game, and they were very powerful even if they didn’t get as big as Jared’s wolf breed did. 

Even with his advantage of being a Were, Jared had come very close to losing the fight with Hercules. The smaller, yet older Alpha was a seasoned fighter with many tricks he’d picked up over the years. But in the end, it had been Hercules that stood defeated, eyes averted and head dropped below that of Jared’s.

After the battle, instead of forcing the older wolf to submit, Jared had stepped up beside the defeated Hercules and bumped shoulders with him. Making sure to drop his head to the same level as Herc’s.

It was a clear offer to share leadership of the pack and right away Herc’s defeated posture evaporated and he raised his head high once more. Jared standing just as confidently beside him.

When Jared turned down offers from the female wolves wanting to show their approval and fealty to their new Alpha, it appeased Hercules even more, knowing he didn’t have to share his bitches with Jared.

On the third night, Jared instructed Kate through their mind connection to jam the cameras near the wolf pens and then scaled the back wall of his enclosure in his Werewolf form. 

He could’ve made it over much more easily in his human form, which was the most nimble of his three forms when it came to climbing, but he knew he’d need the extra strength his werewolf form provided to avoid the electrified barbed wire that ran along the top of both pens.

He’d then made his way over to Jensen’s enclosure, taking advantage of every shadow along the way until he came to the side of the enclosure where the Crossbloods’ shelter was.

The wolf shelters in the two pens weren’t what people expected for a dog house let alone for wolves in a zoo-like facility. 

Two years ago, the Conservancy had held a televised competition to promote the Murie Program and its facilities.

Budding architects competed to design key buildings that would be needed for the program until a winner was crowned. The final prize included being featured in two highly respected architectural magazines and a cash prize of fifty-thousand dollars.

In the Finals of the competition, the last two architects had been tasked with designing wolf-houses for their assigned wolf pen. The only stipulations were they had to stay within the budget given to them and it had to be accessible to humans so that the caretakers could go in to clean whenever necessary.

Both architects had outdone themselves by creating beautiful, whimsical houses that served the wolves it sheltered wonderfully, but it had been the Crossbloods’ house that had won over the judges.

The judges had been Singer, Ty, DJ, and Felicia.

Though they’d been just as equally in awe of the beautifully detailed Gothic house built for the Purebloods, the simple, easy to maintain, yet still charming cottage built for the Crossbloods had won the day.

Of course, Jared’s team had researched and memorized everything they could about the Park and the Conservancy, including the layout of each wolf house.

He knew that the cottage was pretty basic with a main floor and a loft space above, reachable by wooden stairs. There was a screened-in front porch, a dog-bone shaped wading pool, and a white picket fence that surrounded the cottage on three sides.

The cottage was also built up off the ground on a four-foot high base, made up of sturdy river stone and pressure-treated wooden legs that allowed the wolves access to the space under the building. 

It was designed that way for when the wolves needed to seek cooler shade during the hottest parts of the summer, and it also helped to keep the entrances from getting blocked in by all but the fiercest of snowstorms in the winter.

It was now nearing the middle of Fall. The nights were getting chilly so the Keepers had started latching the shutters at night. No matter the weather though, the human-sized main doors were also locked up tight at night.

Jared knew he could open one of the shutters and easily climb in with his human form, locate Jensen, and sneak him out the way he’d come.

He could then get them across the large grassland behind the pens, over another electrified fence, and to where his teammates had set up a nondescript camp in the nearby forest.

Things, however, didn’t go as planned.

**FOUR**

Kate and Michelle watched as Jared made his way up the slight hill toward them. At the top of the hill was a small cave with a small clearing surrounded by brush and mature trees.

With the use of binoculars and long-lensed cameras, the duo had been able to watch over the everyday activities that went on in the preserve.

Now, the two watched in confusion as Jared walked up the hill in his Were form, with a hangdog expression on his face. 

Kate’s observant, vibrant blue eyes ran over Jared’s hulking form until she noted his flattened ears and drooping tail.

“Okay, what happened that’s got you looking like that?” Kate demanded.

Michelle’s eyebrows rose, her dark brown eyes flicking between the two senior agents.

“Change.” Jared replied, his Were’s voice deep and gravelly.

“Oh Goddess, if you need to be in human form to explain, it can’t be good.”

Jared then turned and grabbed up his pack with his teeth. It was standard practice now for Kate or Michelle to set out his pack when he was due to check in, but Jared was still grateful for their consideration.

Weres weren't shy about their bodies, but it was still much more comfortable to have their ‘interesting bits’ covered when out in the wild. There’s nothing worse than getting a bug bite in an embarrassing place.

So Kate waited the couple of seconds it took Jared to fish a pair of his sweatpants out of the pack and don them, before starting in on him again.

“What’s going on? Where’s Ackles?”

“We have a problem.”

“Problem?”

“He refuses to talk to me and… he’s in heat.”

Kate and Michelle gasped in shock. But it was Kate that replied. “Heat?! But according to his parents, he just recently Presented. Omegas that young don’t usually go into Heat unless they’ve met their ma--...” Kate paused, frowning confusedly at Jared. Then her eyes flared wide and she gasped even harder.

Michelle waited for Kate or Jared to finish, but when neither seemed inclined to continue, she stepped forward. “What’s going on with Ackles? ‘Omegas that young don’t go into Heat unless they’ve met their…’ what?”

Kate blinked, then shook her head even as Jared sank tiredly onto a flat rock the two women had taken to using as their watchpoint; his elbows on his knees, his hands covering his face.

Kate turned and looked at the junior agent. “They don’t go into Heat that young unless they’ve met their mate. And since the only Were that’s been around Ackles for the past few weeks is Jared, I’m pretty sure that means Jared is his mate.”

Michelle blinked, surprised. “So what does that mean for the mission?” she asked.

Kate answered as she turned to regard Jared with an amused, almost gleeful expression on her beautiful face. “It means he’s officially pulled off of the case and being next in command, I’ll be taking over.”

From where he sat, Michelle could hear a low, chilling growl emanating from the large Alpha.

“Oh, stop whining, Jared! You’ve found your mate! You should be happy! Now, I know you’ll be busy in the next few days, but you need to remember priority number one. Keep your head when you’re around your mate and DO NOT give the humans proof of our existence.”

“Wait, what do you mean he’ll be busy? I thought you said he’s no longer on the case. Doesn’t that mean he’ll be leaving?”

“No, he’s off the case because he’ll be too focused on courting his Omega, not rescuing him.” Kate answered, as she went to her own pack and pulled out the satellite phone Jared had given her when they’d first arrived at Yellowstone. “I need to report this in and Jared you need to get back to your mate. With one this young, his mating call will be stronger than most and it will most likely pull in any unmated Alphas close enough to sense it.”

Jared shot to his feet, this time with a full-blown snarl so savage Michelle found it hard not to cower before him. As Jared had stood he’d also transformed back into his Were form, ripping his sweatpants until they hung in tatters at his waist.

With razor-sharp talons, Jared ripped the rest of the fabric from him then turned and began trudging back toward the Conservancy.

“Priority one, Jared!” Kate called out to him.

Jared chuffed in annoyance, then shifted into his third form, that of an abnormally large timber wolf in varying shades of brown, with cream-colored underbelly and legs, then trotted hurriedly off.

Kate then turned her attention to the satellite phone and began dialing one-handed, holding up her other hand to hold off the questions the younger woman was obviously dying to ask.

After three rings, her call was finally picked up and she instantly recognized the voice.

“Wolfe Brothers Landscapes and Gardens, how may I assist your call?”

In her mind, Kate pictured the sprawling, lush property that comprised the public face of this region’s SPAR facility. To humans, it was nothing more than the largest landscape and design company in North America, that made good money which in turn was used to fund SPAR. 

“This is Kate. I need to speak to Alpha.” Kate said, succinctly.

“Why, hello Kate. Nice to hear from you, too. My day is going great, how is yours?” Chad gushed with saccharine tones.

“This isn’t a social call, Murray. Put me through to the Alphas.”

“If you’re gonna go by last names, Beckinsale, it’s Kane now. As I’m sure you recall.”

Kate had to fight hard to keep her fangs from dropping. It took her a good three seconds before she could speak again. “Stop fucking around, _Chad_ , and put me through to Jeff!” she growled.

“Well, geez Louise, girlfriend! All you had to do was ask. No need to be rude!” Chad replied with saccharine sweetness.

“I swear to the Goddess, if you don’t put me--.” Kate gritted out, only to cut herself off when the telltale sound of her call being transferred came over the line.

This time there was only one ring before it was picked up. Kate heaved a sigh of nervous relief when she recognized Sifu Reeves’ calm and deep tones.

“Sifu--” she started, then stopped. Unsure of what to say next.

Reeves spoke without waiting for Kate to continue. “Something’s wrong,” he stated.

Kate swallowed nervously. She knew deep in her heart that Sifu Reeves would have her back in any kind of fight, but Kate was the daughter of a Were Agency man.

She’d grown up listening avidly to all the legends of Morgan and Reeves. SPAR’s first agents. The Alpha/Omega pair who broke the mold and showed the true benefit of having mated pairs working together.

So, even after having worked with the man for many years, Kate couldn’t help the usual nervous pounding of her heart nor the light sweat that began to bead at her forehead.

“Sifu…” she started again. “There’s a complication with our target. Turns out the boy is Jared’s mate.”

“Is he sure? What’s his plan?”

“He’s sure, Sifu. Jared’s going to try to claim and mate him.”

“We’ll be there by morning. Good job, Kate.”

_click_

Kate numbly stabbed the ‘off’ button on the phone then turned to look at Michelle with a dazed expression.

“What did he say? Kate?” Michelle asked, her dark brown eyes wide with concern.

“Sifu Reeves and Alpha Morgan are coming here.”

“What?! But I thought they didn’t do field work anymore.”

“They haven’t in years. But they’re coming now.”

“We’d better give Jared a heads up.”

**+++++++++++++++++++++++**

Later that night, after Michelle sneaked in to report to Jared about the imminent arrival of Morgan and Reeves, Jared shifted and made his way out of his enclosure and over to the northwest corner of Jensen’s.

He was unsure about why his leaders were coming, but he figured there was nothing he could do about it until they arrived. Right now, he had a more pressing dilemma to figure out.

His mate.

Like the first night that he’d escaped his enclosure, Jared used his werewolf form to scale the fence and then his full wolf form to sneak across the grounds to Jensen’s. Taking care to work his way around to the back of the large enclosure, managing to avoid the cameras that monitored both areas.

He shifted once again into human form, moving just as stealthily as his other two forms. He made his way swiftly to the fence behind the quaint, yellow and white mixed wolves’ house.

Even though there was a good eight-foot gap between the fence and the back of the house, Jared could immediately scent Jensen.

His inner wolf picked up on what smelled like the start of an Omega’s first heat. _His_ Omega’s first heat.

Jared wanted to rip through the steel mesh, crash his way into the wolf house, and claim the young Omega he knew was his.

“Jensen… Jensen Ackles.” Jared called out, softly. Being a Were, Jared knew Jensen would hear him with his heightened senses.

The only problem was that even the Crossbloods could hear him, which was proven rather quickly when a massive wolf came around the corner of the house; snarling and growling warningly.

Jared knew he could take on any natural wolf, half-breed or not, in his Were or Wolf form, but he would be at a disadvantage in human form and he really didn’t like hurting natural wolves unless they attacked him first. 

Which was rare. 

Most natural wolves had a strong survival instinct and their own heightened senses usually warned them off of fighting Weres.

But some natural wolves, Alphas and Betas, would fight a Were if they felt their pack was in danger, especially if it involved their young. The mothers were especially savage and all Weres knew not to mess with them.

As far as he knew, in the observations he’d conducted while in quarantine, none of the half-breeds had pups. But he wasn’t sure if any were pregnant and so Jared backed down by taking a few steps away from the fence.

Jared chuffed placatingly at the other Alpha, just as a Beta nearly as big as the Alpha, pushed her way out of the abnormally large dog door and came to stand challengingly in the strip of grass between the fence and the house.

“Jensen.” Jared called again, this time, a bit louder.

From an upstairs window, a dark-blond, spiky-haired head poked out. Even with only the light of the nearly full moon above, Jared could easily see the boy’s face and Jared found himself gasping softly in pleased surprise.

He’d seen pictures of Jensen in the briefings before coming to the Yellowstone, and he’d noted how handsome Jensen Ackles was. But the pictures had in no way prepared him for how truly beautiful the boy actually was.

His dark-blond hair was more of a light brown, on the long-ish side, rumpled and sticking up in adorable spikes on top of his head.

His eyes were thickly lashed, and he knew from the reports that they were green, but in this light and the distance, Jared couldn’t really make out their color.

But it was the boy’s lush, pink mouth and pale, flushed, and freckled skin that had Jared nearly whimpering with need.

He could also pick up Jensen’s scent even more strongly and he had to think of roadkill and euthanized puppies to stay in control.

He couldn’t help taking a few steps closer, though, and that set off the Beta behind the fence. She snarled ferociously and rushed at Jared, throwing herself at the steel mesh; making the entire perimeter of fencing shake and rattle.

And now, all of the half-wolves were awake and pouring out of the dog-door.

Instinctively, Jared shifted into werewolf form and dropped into a fighting position; fangs and claws fully extended. He snarled at the Betas and lesser Alphas for daring to challenge him. All but the Beta backed down, whimpering and exposing their throats to Jared.

Then the big Alpha that Jared had seen first, came pushing through the crowd of half-wolves, snarling and snapping at the others until they stopped their submissive gestures.

The Alpha came to stand at the strong Beta’s side and immediately she took a step back and dropped her head lower than the Alpha’s but still higher than all the other half-wolves.

Jared understood. The big wolf-dog was the Alpha for all in that enclosure and the strong Beta was his mate. Which gave her a power of her own. She bowed to no one except her mate and only to show respect, not because he cowed her into doing so.

Just like Hercules and Xena, the Alpha and Beta, for the Pure wolves.

Proof to Jared that you didn’t have to be a pure wolf to have a strong and healthy pack.

Hoping the fence would keep the wolves in, Jared returned his attention to the beautiful boy watching him from the upper window.

“Jensen…” he said, after shifting back into his human form. “My name is Jared Padalecki. I’m an agent for SPAR.”

“SPAR?! Why the hell would SPAR send an agent here?”

“For you, Jensen. Did you think your disappearance would just be brushed under the rug and you’d be forgotten?”

Jensen snorted, derisively. “Psh, I wish!”

“My team and I were sent to rescue you and bring you back home.”

“Hate to disappoint you, Agent Pa- _dick_ -y, but I came here willingly. I don’t need nor do I _want_ to be ‘rescued’. So you can just sneak your way back out of here.”

“Look, we need to talk. Can I come in there?”

“I can hear you just fine from here. Besides, there’s nothing to talk about. I reached my majority at sixteen and I’m now seventeen. My parents no longer have a say in where I go and what I do.”

“There are more important things to talk about, Jensen. Will these wolves attack if I climb over?”

“Yes, they will! When I moved here, Martha, the lead Beta accepted me like I was her pup. She’s very protective of me and Jimbo, the Alpha, dotes on her. He won’t tolerate anything upsetting her. I’ve never seen her so angry before, though. Maybe you should leave.”

Jensen made as if to move from the window, and Jared shot forward without thinking, darting forward to grab the fence with both hands.

“You’re going into Heat, Jensen! I can smell it from here. Very soon, it will pull in more Alphas. You’re young and it’s your first heat. It’ll be irresistible to any unmated Alphas, you have to know how dangerous that could be!”

Jensen was back leaning halfway out of the window. Jared’s eyes locked onto creamy looking skin, adorable patches of freckles, and dusky pink nipples. His inner wolf pushed to be released. Want, lust, and need coursing through Jared’s veins.

“Ha! Nice try, Alpha! I can’t be in heat, I’m too young!” Jensen shouted down at him, cheeks rosy with a growing ire. “Just leave me alone! I don’t need saving!”

Suddenly, seeming to come out of nowhere, Jared was rushed from the front and the side. Jimbo had slammed his entire bulk against the chain link fence, sending Jared flying backward.

Even as his paws left the ground, Martha came in from the side in what was an obviously coordinated move she and Jimbo had devised.

The double hit was hard enough to knock the air from Jared’s lungs and when he finally came to a rolling stop back at the Purebloods fence, Jared flopped over onto his back and turned his head to look up at a curious Xena and Hercules, peering at him through the steel mesh.

The Crossblood alpha pair had made their message loud and clear: Go back home and stay there.

Jared felt like a horny teenager who’d been caught trying to sneak into his boyfriend’s window.

Jared saw Herc tilt his head in that certain way he does when he finds something amusing.

Jared wagged a finger at the Alpha, scolding. “Don’t start with me!”

**FIVE**

DJ and Felicia were watching the rock cam footage of Jared’s last encounter with the Crossbreed wolves for the fourth or fifth time and were still giggling madly whenever Jared went flying.

Ty watched them from the entrance of the Rec Room but any amusement he’d had at the first few views of the video was long gone and his mind was once again filled with worry.

Ty’s fascination and love for wolves started at a young age. He’d spent a good part of his youth in an orphanage and that was where he’d first met Ray TikTak, an Inuk native who had volunteered at the orphanage.

Ray taught Ty and many other boys skills he’d learned from his grandfather and father. Survival skills in the wild, craft skills, and to respect nature and the animals.

It was through Ray that Ty had learned of the existence of honest-to-God werewolves. He’d never met one but he’d listened to and memorized all the tales that Ray shared with him.

So when Ty saw Jared in that first video from the hidden camera, a part of Ty seemed to click into place. Ray Tiktak had always couched his stories in the guises of legends or tales passed down from his father or grandfather. 

But Ty had always believed the stories to be true. And seeing Jared transform had made all the years of believing, even when others mocked him or called him crazy, well worth it.

So, after that first video, Ty sat Felicia and DJ down and told them the Inuktitut legends Ray Tiktak had shared with him so many years ago.

By the time Ty had shared all that he knew, Felicia and DJ were supportive believers. Sure, they had the proof that he’d never had, but they had both heartily agreed that Jared and any others like him were a part of nature.

A natural wonder that needed to be protected. Both of the Junior Keepers vowing to help Ty keep Jared’s secret.

“Okay, okay… enough fun and games.” Ty ordered with an authoritative clap of his hands to get their attention. “We’ve got work to do. The rest of the staff will be here in half an hour. Fee, please put that video drive in the safe in my office and the three of us will go over it again later when we close.”

“You got it, boss!”

“DJ, I don’t know how Martha got in or out of the Crossbloods’ pen, but I need you to investigate and find out how. If she’d gone over, she’d be injured and judging by how she was able to send Jared flying, she was obviously not injured.”

“I’m on it!” DJ replied with a determined nod.

Just as Felicia ducked out of the room, the radio that’s always clipped to Ty’s belt turned on with a loud _squelch_ and a burst of static. 

“Olsson, come in. This is Jerry!” came the excited tones of one of the park’s engineers.

“Go for Olsson.” Ty replied after snatching the radio off his belt and bringing it up closer to his mouth.

“Boss! I’m coming in on the northeast jeep trail, was doing some fishing at Walter Creek before work and you’re never gonna believe what I just saw crossing The Blue Bowl and heading in your direction!”

“What?!”

“WOLVES! BIG ONES! THERE MUST BE ABOUT SIX OR SEVEN OF THEM!”

**+++++++++++++++++++++++**

Jensen felt like shit. He’d woken up in the early morning hours, the sun nowhere near rising yet, feeling like he was boiling inside of his own skin.

He’d gone out to the bone-shaped wading pool to try and cool down, but it hadn’t worked. It was only in his human form that he was able to get some relief. But even the chilly water in the three-foot-deep pool couldn’t quite kill the slowly growing fire running through Jensen’s veins.

He didn’t know what was going on. He was scared and for the first time since he’d run away from home, Jensen missed his parents. Especially his mom.

The pack of Crossbloods milled around the pool; each animal sensing Jensen’s discomfort and unease. Martha was especially agitated. She’d come to regard the young Were as the pup she’d never had.

Since she’d been added to the breeding program in Yellowstone, she’d gone into heat twice and both times they’d mated her with Purebloods, Clyde and Zeus, both times the pregnancies failed at around three months.

When Jensen had been brought into the program, Martha had immediately been drawn to the scared, yet brave young Were pup. 

The staff had been happy at first, thinking Jensen and Martha might mate. But it was soon apparent that her interest in the young wolf was more of a maternal nature.

The other Crossbloods had at first shunned or ignored the pup. But when Martha got Jimbo to accept him, the others had fallen in line. The pup’s affectionate and fun-loving nature had also helped to endear him more and more to the pack. 

Also, at night, when the pup returned to human form in the safety of the house, his strong hands and nimble fingers made for the best pets and scratches any of them had ever had. 

The pack had bonded strongly with the pup after that, and now there wasn’t a single one of them who wouldn’t rush to help him in whatever way the pup needed them.

So when Jensen started digging a hole under the Crossbloods’ wolf house, Martha and Jim had at first watched with confusion, but eventually joined in; following Jensen’s instructions on how to disperse the soil and debris they were digging up, in a way so that their activity went unnoticed by the humans.

The hole had gone down into the earth about four feet then angled off to the right for another twenty or so feet until it came up smack dab in the center of the large bramble of bushes behind the maintenance shed.

This hole was how Martha was able to get in and out of the Crossbloods’ pen when the other Were had come around sniffing after her Omega pup.

So when Jimbo stiffened up and turned to face their house while growling out an intruder alert, Martha wasn’t surprised to see the Alpha Were crawling out from under the house in his naked human form. He’d obviously found their tunnel and taken advantage of it.

As if sensing Jared’s presence, Jensen’s eyes snapped open and he rose to his feet, standing in the middle of the pool. The moon had set a long time ago, but the abundance of stars in the huge clear sky cast more than enough light for both Weres and wolves to see by.

Jared stood transfixed as he stared at Jensen in all his bare glory.

His skin was glowing in the starlight and shimmering from the water that was sliding silkily down his trim, young body.

Jensen’s skin reminded Jared of the finest cream with a smattering of cinnamon freckles that dusted the bridge of his nose and the tops of his cheeks.

Green eyes that glinted as they reflected the starlight, made them look like they were glowing. Jared’s own multicolored hazel brown with hints of blue and green seemed to glow a warm amber color as they drank their fill of the magnificent Omega standing proudly before him.

The two were so focused on each other, they never noticed when the Crossblood wolves suddenly dispersed and ran to the Northern perimeter of their enclosure and snarled threateningly as they stared out into the dark, long grass that covered the Wolf Paddock.

Watching from the Security Room, Ty, DJ, Felicia, and the newly arrived Jerry stared in shock at the multitude of glowing eyes that were making their way through the long grasses; headed straight for the Crossbloods’ enclosure.

Even over in the Purebloods’ side, the wolves were standing at their fence; well aware of the intruders closing in.

Natural wolves usually avoided any confrontations with Weres. They were well aware of how a werewolf could easily injure or kill them. However, they have been known to bravely fight werewolves if they felt their pack members, especially their young, were in danger, or if their territory was being infringed upon.

The Purebloods knew that Jared considered the Omega in heat as his mate and so the Purebloods felt an obligation to Jared to protect Jensen. Jared wasn’t only part of the Pack to them, he was one of their Alpha Leaders.

At the Main Entrance to the Murie Center, a huge, top-of-the-line, black and silver RV sat on the two-lane blacktop road, turned sideways, completely blocking the way into the conservation center.

At either side of the road, were sharp drop-offs that ensured no vehicles would be able to just go around the RV.

Chad stood on the road beside the door to the RV and stared back down the road he’d just driven the RV up. Far down at the start of the long, serpentine road, his keen Were sight picked up the shine of headlights of multiple vehicles making their way through the large trees and up the road.

Chad didn’t bat an eye when his leaders joined him a second later, completely naked except for specially designed backpacks strapped to their virile, battle-hardened frames.

“Workers coming in to work.” Chad said as he nodded at the oncoming vehicles.

Keanu shifted, sniffed the air then turned to look toward the dense forest on their left. “Alphas.” he said, grimly, his intense stare fixed on a certain point in the darkness of the forest.

JD sniffed then growled softly. “Many of them.”

Chad sniffed the air, too, but couldn’t smell anything out of the ordinary. He knew it was a testament to how much older the SPAR leaders were, making their Were abilities much stronger and keener than his. Chad never even thought of doubting their senses.

Keanu stepped closer to Chad and laid a reassuring hand on Chad's arm. The young Beta only then realizing he’d been jiggling it nervously at his side.

“They’re here for Jared’s potential mate. You’re mated and claimed. These Alphas won’t bother you.”

“Yeah, I know.”

JD smiled, sending the younger man some reassurances of his own. “Stall the humans for as long as you can then slip away and meet Michelle at the rendezvous point.”

Just then, Kane exited the RV, dressed - or undressed - in the same fashion that Keanu and JD were.

“That means no heroics or funny business.” the Alpha growled, fixing his mate with a stern glare.

Chad rolled his eyes and sigh in exasperation. “Baby, I know! I’m not stupid enough to try and go up against an Alpha in battle.”

Kane strode up to the Beta and took his face into his large, callused hands. Chad shivered as his Alpha threaded his fingers through his short blond hair and gripped his head tightly so that Chad had no choice but to lock his bright blue gaze with his Alpha mate’s even brighter blue eyes.

“I mean it, Chad. Don’t make me order you.”

“I won’t do anything stupid, babe. I promise. Straight to Michelle, and nowhere else.”

Kane stared for a couple seconds longer into Chad’s eyes, before finally nodding then leaning up to grab a hard, forceful kiss. Chad instantly melted into his Alpha’s arms. His taller, yet significantly slighter frame arching into the long-haired man’s burly arms.

“I love you.” he whispered.

“Love you more.” Kane replied.

JD cleared his throat with a growl then shifted effortlessly into his massive wolf form. After Jared, he was the biggest in their pack. Keanu was pretty big as well, just an inch or two shorter at the shoulders when he shifted.

JD gave a commanding bark then ran off into the woods on their right, trusting his pack’s mental link to lead him straight to Jared. In next to no time, Keanu was at his side, running easily beside him. The two howling up into the star-studded night sky to let Jared and his team know they were coming.

Kane gave Chad another quick kiss, shifted in the blink of an eye, then took off after his leaders; adding his voice to their howls.

**SIX**

DJ startled when the voice of their boss, Jim Beaver, sounded from behind where he, Ty, and Felicia were seated at the long bank of monitors they’d been watching fascinatedly for the past fifteen minutes.

After Jerry had reported the incoming wolves, Ty had instructed him to head home from where he was and not to return to the center until notified.

He’d then contacted the head of the security that patrolled the perimeter of the center’s borders. He warned them about what Jerry had reported, then firmly instructed them to let the wolves by, to not follow them and to not engage them in any way.

He’d then joined Felicia and DJ in the Security Room to watch the monitors with them.

“What in the hell is going on here?!” Beaver demanded.

Ty rose slowly to his feet. A long-suffering sigh escaping him as he turned to face the older man. Felicia and DJ rose with him, the junior keepers doing their best to block the monitors with their bodies.

“Jim! Um, hey… hi. Uh… I can explain everything.” Ty said, his tone calm and soothing.

“Okay. First off, why are there two naked guys in the Crossbloods pen and why haven’t you called in the security team to deal with them?!”

Ty shot DJ a pained look. Like he was looking for help. Hating to see the man he’d been in love with for years in such a dilemma, DJ stepped forward, drawing the infuriated gaze of Beaver to him.

“They’re not men, sir. They’re werewolves.”

Beaver stared blankly at DJ for a good minute or so before finally speaking. “Excuse me?”

“It’s true, Jim.” Ty finally spoke up, coming to stand beside DJ, resting one hand on the younger man’s back. “Do you remember the Inuit stories I told you about?”

“The ones you learned from that orphanage? Ty, they were just stories… myths.”

“No, Jim. They were true. I just let you believe they were myths because I wanted to protect the werewolves and my job.”

Felicia, who had turned to the keyboard behind her and quickly tapped a couple of keys before turning back to the men with a loud clearing of her throat.

“Sir. He’s telling the truth. Here’s your proof.” she said, firmly.

On the main screen in front of them was the footage of Jared shifting and then scaling the Pureblood enclosure’s fence.

Jim stared wide-eyed at the monitor. “Is that for real?”

“Yes. And he’s not the only one. Jensen is a werewolf, too. What we’ve been able to suss out is that Jensen is a runaway Omega, and Jared is an Alpha who was sent in to bring him back home.”

“What? How did you figure all that out?”

“DJ set up hidden cameras to find out how Jared has been getting out of Purebloods enclosure. The cameras have sound too and we clearly heard them talking.”

Felicia cut in, excitedly. “What’s even more amazing is that with werewolves, unlike with real wolves, Omegas aren’t prevented from mating and aren’t considered the bottom of the rankings within their packs.”

“Right.” Ty added. “It looks like Omegas are rare and treasured among werewolves.”

Jim had by then stepped up to the bank of monitors and looked from one monitor to the other. “Treasured, you say?”

DJ grinned and reached for the keyboard to bring the live camera feed back to the biggest monitor. “Yes, treasured. Last night, Jared mentioned that Jensen was in heat. That he could smell it and all. I think that… I’m not sure, but…” DJ turned red as he struggled to finish what he’d started saying.

“Heat? Don’t you mean ‘rut’?”

“No, he definitely said ‘heat’.”

“What are you trying to say?”

DJ regained his composure and grinned, looking unsure. “I think werewolf Omegas can breed.”

“WHAT?!”

“I mean, why else would Jensen be going into heat? Only those that breed can go into heat.”

Ty made a chopping motion with one hand and cut into the conversation. “Jim, whether male werewolves can breed or not is not our biggest worry right now.” he said grimly, as he stared at one of the side monitors.

“Are you kidding me?! If that’s true then that’s amazing!”

“I agree, but right now we may be having a possible mating frenzy on our hands.” Ty replied as he pointed at the monitor he’d been staring at.

The three pivoted to look and Felicia’s gasp of utter shock echoed in the suddenly quiet room.

**+++++++++++++++++++++++**

The wolves in both enclosures reacted to the arrival of JD, Keanu, and Kane. Despite the instinctive caution they had for werewolves, their instincts to defend their pack and their territory was stronger.

Hercules and the other males in his pack threw themselves at the fence; snarling and snapping their challenges. Keanu paused mid-step, then urged JD and Kane to continue on without him. 

He then approached the Purebloods, and shifted into his human form, walking up to where Hercules stood on the other side of the fence. Keanu’s wolf was of the Great Plains variety, but much larger than any natural wolf of the same classification. He didn’t want his size intimidating them as he tried to reassure them.

JD and Kane continued on in their wolf forms to the Crossbloods pen, confident that Keanu could take care of himself. JD was a Canadian Timberwolf like Jared and Jensen, but Kane was of the Eastern timber wolf variety. Smaller, yet ferocious.

When they arrived at the back of the pen, they paused to take in the scene before them. Jared, in wolf form, was fighting another wolf that was nearly as big as he was. Kane took a step forward as if to go to Jared’s aid, but JD growled at him to stop. “Don’t interfere.” he told the smaller black wolf, telepathically. “Jared’s in rut and the Omega’s in heat. It’s a Claiming… and you’ll only get yourself hurt if you get in the way.”

Just then, Jared and Jensen crashed through the fencing, the two locked together, snarling and snapping as they rolled past, both wolves fighting furiously.

JD and Kane stared in shock and admiration as the Omega suddenly shifted into were form, grabbed two handfuls of Jared’s shaggy fur, then lifted Jared up into the air while turning on the spot and throwing him through the Purebloods fence; the bigger Alpha yelping in what sounded more like surprise than pain as the momentum of the Omega’s mighty throw sent him rolling across the grass, before he finally came to a stop.

Jared was now in Were form as well, and his roar of rage made every hair on JD’s body stand up even as challenging howls sprang up from varying locations behind where he and Kane stood.

Kane’s entire body shook with excitement and worry, dancing from paw to paw, overwhelmed with the need to help his packmate, but unsure about what to do. He whined entreatingly at JD, confident that his pack leader would know what to do.

JD glanced back at Jared and Jensen, who were locked together in were form; massive jaws snapping, lethal clawed hands slashing, before turning to face the huge, enclosed grassy field that made up the ‘exercise yard’ for the wolf center.

“Son of a bitch.” he thought, in shock and awe as he spotted multiple pairs of glowing eyes making their way through the near pitch-black expanse of the grassy field.

Just then, Chad called out to JD just as Keanu rejoined them in his wolf form.

“Boss! I’m with the girls. We had to abandon their base camp. There’s more Alphas coming your way! WAY more!”

Kane whimpered, his worry for Jared shifting to worrying about his mate.

When in a rut, an unmated Alpha werewolf will try to mate with any unmated Betas or Omegas that they could get their claws on. They all knew that Kate and Michelle were in danger, and that Chad would get himself killed trying to protect them.

Keanu whipped his head around to Kane and growled, commandingly. “Go! Get them somewhere safe!”

The smaller black wolf didn’t need to be told twice. He dashed off, using his connection to his mate to guide him.

JD and Keanu locked eyes, both gazes shining with love, admiration, and devotion.

“Guess it’s just you and me, babe,” JD said in his mind.

“Like always.” Keanu shot back with a growl.

They then turned as one to face the oncoming tide of unmated Alphas. 

**SEVEN**

Jared was aware of the arrival of his packmates and the battle raging in the open field, but his wolf mind had fully merged with his human one and all he could really focus on was the delectable enticement that was the amazing Omega going toe-to-toe with him and making Jared proud with how strong and intelligent he was.

When Jensen had first stepped out of the pool and had stood there nearly glowing from the steam coming off of his overheated body, Jared had been hypnotized and enraptured.

The young Omega had taken advantage of his besotted state and had leapt the nine feet separating them and tackled Jared to the ground. He’d nearly managed to pin Jared facedown and set his teeth into the back of his neck, but Jared’s combat training had saved him, and he’d managed to squirm out from under the boy before he could bite down.

On his feet, his training proved to be too much for the young boy as each tried to grapple and wrestle the other into submission. But when Jared managed to flip him over his shoulder and Jensen landed on his back, winded and disoriented, the seventeen-year-old proved his mettle again when Jared went to flip him over and instead found himself facing a large Canadian timberwolf that snapped ferociously at his hands before darting off out of Jared’s reach.

In wolf form, Jensen was the one that held the advantage. He’d spent half a year running and playing with real wolves and had learned a lot from them.

Jared’s bigger size proved to be his undoing as Jensen practically ran circles around him and came close to being pinned by the smaller Were when Jensen pulled some fancy paw work and managed to knock Jared off his feet. Three times!

It was only sheer determination that had kept Jared from being defeated each time.

Through the rut haze that clouded his brain, Jared heard Keanu calling out to him. “Jared son, you need to finish this now. You know I don’t like hurting other Weres, especially when they’re acting out due to their biology, and I’ve already hurt way too many over here. Besides, my mate is tiring.”

“I. AM. _NOT_!” came JD’s voice, sounding indignant and exasperated at the same time.

Jared chuckled. 

However, his momentary lapse in focus allowed Jensen to slip around and behind him. Using the resilient tension of the chain link fencing, Jensen jumped, planted all four of his feet against the fence, and launched himself off it like it was a trampoline.

As he flew through the air towards the wide, hulking back of Jared’s wolf form, Jensen shifted to werewolf; clawed hands reaching to grab hold of Jared so that he could sink his teeth into the back of Jared’s neck in order to finally defeat this cocky Alpha.

The subtle, yet distinctive sound of a Were shifting form, like the quiet slide of paper against paper, was what alerted Jared to Jensen’s counterattack.

Jared was impressed with how Jensen was able to turn while performing a complicated maneuver, but now it was Jared’s turn to show off some of his own skills.

Jared managed to whip about to face the boy just as he snapped into his werewolf form and slammed into Jared’s Wolf form. The weight of Jensen’s larger Were form, as compared to Jared’s wolf, sent them both flying backward; crashing into and through the double doors of the Wolf House. 

The doors flew inward, crashed against the walls, then swung back and closed again. The two figures rolled across bare wooden floors and a multitude of dog beds in varying shapes, sizes, and colors.

Recovering quickly, Jensen growled in victory as his large clawed hands went to flip Jared’s Wolf onto his stomach. Instead of thick fur, Jensen instead found himself holding unblemished, smooth golden skin as Jared shifted back into human form in what seemed like the blink of an eye.

Jensen was momentarily shocked that the Alpha would shift back into his weakest form, then gasped in surprise when the man eeled his way sideways then up the side of Jensen’s body until he was on top. 

Then to Jensen’s further surprise and shock, he felt blunt human teeth clamping onto the nape of his neck and then digging in with surprising strength and speed.

Jensen felt his body instinctively go lax in surrender.

He’d lost.

“ _Mine._ ” came the Alpha’s voice in Jensen’s mind.

It was a claim Jensen couldn’t and suddenly didn’t want to refute.

Outside, fifty yards back into the large, grassy field where JD, Keanu, Kane, and the natural wolves had pushed them back to, the crowd of Alphas suddenly stopped fighting and cocked their heads as if listening intently for something. Many of them also sniffing the air.

Kane had rejoined his leaders, after taking the Betas to a safe location, with the Pureblood and Crossblood Alphas at his side.

On his way to rejoin JD and Keanu, Kane had taken the time to communicate with the natural wolves who had gathered together near the visitor center. He’d never talked to a natural wolf before, but it was something all werewolves could when in their wolf form. 

He’d found that each pack had a fondness for the young couple currently battling it out in the cute yellow cottage, and the Alphas especially had been wanting to join in on the fight.

But now it seemed like things were finally coming to a close. The eerie quiet coming from the cottage told Kane that the battle was finally over.

When Jensen’s sweet Omega scent intensified, Kane shook off the allure, something only mated Alphas could do, shifted into human form, and turned to his leaders with a wide grin. “Looks like our boy did it!” Kane said. 

That intensified smell meant the Omega was no longer looking for a mate. Jared had managed to subdue the strongest Omega that Kane had ever seen and was about to claim him.

**+++++++++++++++++++++++**

With his battle fever turning to carnal lust, Jensen complied enough to shift back into human form. But when the Alpha released his neck, Jensen squirmed to flip over onto his back and used both legs to wrap around the Alpha’s lean, muscled waist in an effort to pull the much larger man down on top of him.

Jensen also wound his arms around Jared’s neck as he reared up and began frantically kissing and nibbling along Jared’s jawline.

The heady musk rolling off of the Alpha was driving Jensen insane. His whole body undulated and pressed up into the older man’s rock hard body in a near desperate need for something, anything that would quench the roaring inferno blazing through his entire body.

After talking to Jared the night before, Jensen had honestly believed the Alpha was wrong about his heat coming on. But as his mind and body grew more and more out of sorts throughout the day, he’d come to accept it.

But fear of not knowing what to do and what to expect kept him trying to fight it off. For the first time in months, Jensen was regretting running away from home.

If he’d been home he would’ve had his mother and his relatives to advise and coach him through it. He also might’ve been able to get his father to agree to getting him suppressants so that he wouldn’t have needed to mate on his very first heat.

But, like the spoiled brat he now knew he’d been acting like, he’d run off without planning ahead and now here he was; scared and needy and oh-so-fucking horny!

Even as his instincts had him fighting the Alpha, a part of him had been scared and unsure. Jared was definitely one of the most magnificent Alphas he’d ever seen and everything about him looked and smelled so right to him and his wolf, but Jensen was still afraid.

So when he pulled the Alpha down to spread out on top of him, his voice trembled with both excitement and fear. “Fuck me!” he begged hoarsely, even as tears gathered in his eyes.

Though Jared’s senses were awash in the intoxicating smell and feel of the beautiful young Omega in his arms, he could also sense the thread of fear emanating off of the teen.

Jared reared back slightly to look down into Jensen’s face and his heart clenched when he noted the sheen of tears in Jensen’s radiant green eyes.

Releasing the possessive hold he had on Jensen’s body, Jared cupped the sides of Jensen’s head and smiled down at the boy.

“I won’t hurt you, Sweetheart. Don’t be scared. Trust me.”

Jensen gazed up at the Alpha, shocked that he’d take the time to try and reassure him. He didn’t know this Alpha from Adam, but the fact that he’d fight back his own needs to take the time to reassure him spoke volumes.

When the Alpha then leaned in to capture Jensen’s lips in a soft, yet firm kiss, Jensen’s whole body melted. His fear and reservations seemed to melt away and he found himself responding eagerly.

As soon as Jared settled his entire weight on top of him and large hands began roaming eagerly over his body, Jensen’s mind melded fully with his wolf’s and the burning need inside of him seemed to erupt and consume every molecule in his body.

Jensen’s own hands began roaming as well. Eagerly exploring what felt like vast expanses of taut, golden velvet skin over firm, lean muscles. Reveling in the curves and planes of the toned perfection that was the Alpha’s body.

Jared felt as if he couldn’t get enough of tasting and touching the young man beneath him. His brain unable to comprehend how one person could be so soft and smell so sweet as to be nearly feminine in nature, but strong and hard in all the right places so that masculinity was also clearly coming through.

As their mouths and hands explored each other's bodies, their movements got harsher, stronger, faster. Jensen’s building heat fueling Jared’s rut until the two were gasping and groaning in a desperate need neither had ever felt before.

When Jared began trying to turn Jensen over, the teen eagerly complied until he ended up with his chest pressed to the square dog bed underneath him, hands braced against it as he arched his back and up and into the Alpha above him.

Jared growled his approval as he pressed back with his own body. His thick, muscled thighs spread Jensen’s legs further as he rubbed himself up and down the crease of Jensen’s ass. His hard length sliding smoothly across Jensen’s damp and ready entrance.

The time for going slow was past. Jensen’s movements became nearly frantic as he tried all he could to get the Alpha to take him. Words had by then deserted them both and all that spilled from their mouths were grunts, snarls, and yips of pure lust and need.

Jared’s body gleamed in the low light provided by recessed lighting along the base of the walls as he arched his huge frame over the smaller Omega and let his member drag along until finding its target.

“Mine.” came the telepathic message in Jensen’s mind just as Jared pushed into him.

Jensen’s mouth dropped open in a perfect ‘O’ of shock and unbelievable relief.

As Jared pushed slowly but inexorably deeper into him, Jensen felt as if a missing puzzle piece inside of him was being pushed into place.

There was what felt like immense pressure, nearly unbearable heat, and a slight twinge of pain as his body adjusted and accepted the Alpha into him.

Jared’s mind was flooded with all things Jensen. The smell, the taste of him on his tongue, the feel of how perfectly the Omega’s channel fit him. It was like Jensen was made for him and only him.

Even as their bodies began moving in sync the moment Jared was fully sheathed inside of Jensen, Jared could feel the tenuous bond that had alerted him to Jensen being his mate, growing stronger and brighter in his mind and very being.

“My Alpha… MY Alpha…” Jensen’s voice purred in Jared’s mind. A note of epiphany in his tone. “You really ARE my Alpha.”

“Yes, little one. And you are mine.”

Jared reared back onto his haunches, pulling Jensen up with him until the teen was seated in his lap, legs thighs bracketing Jared’s, his back to Jared’s chest, and Jared’s long, muscles arms wrapped around him.

Moans and yips were escaping Jensen as Jared’s hips began to piston up into him faster and faster. When one of Jared’s large hands ran down his torso and palmed Jensen’s hard and aching length, the boy threw his head back onto Jared’s wide shoulder and screamed his release.

Jared milked Jensen’s length firmly as his hips slowed and shortened his thrusts. His knot slipping in and out of Jensen’s quivering heat until it grew large enough to press against that special place inside the Omega. After only a few more glides against Jensen’s prostate, Jensen howled and came again; his channel rippling then clamping down hard on Jared’s knot and sending Jared over the edge, as well.

Outside on the battlefield, Keanu was helping up an Alpha he’d beaten down a mere fifteen minutes ago, when the ringing howl of an Alpha who’d won his mate rang out over the entire area.

The other hopeful mates were already dispersing back over the Center’s fence and into the woods beyond. JD and Kane were also aiding the downed Weres while the natural wolves, Crossbloods and Purebloods alike, stood guard around the cottage.

Suddenly the lighter, yet just as jubilant, howl of an Omega joined that of the Alpha’s. The natural wolves chimed in next and when the injured Weres and those still in range out in the woods began howling too, Keanu, JD, and Kane shifted back into their Wolf forms and joined their brethren.

Keanu paused then whipped around when the howls of happy Betas joined the wolfsong. 

Standing over by the open main gates was Chad, Kate, and Michelle with three humans standing beside them. The humans looked awed and excited but not one bit scared, as they stood there, nearly dwarfed by the Betas.

Down the mountain, at the Center’s Main Entrance, the Center’s employees and early guests paused in their efforts to move the black RV off the road and stood in awe as the clear, strong sound of a multitude of wolves came drifting down to them. The sound was so beautiful it seemed to vibrate the air around them and more than a few of the humans found tears falling from their eyes as they all just stood there and listened.

Inside the cottage back in the Wolf Center, Jared had combined six of the large square dog beds as a makeshift bed for him and Jensen.

He lay flat on his back staring up at the ceiling as Jensen cuddled at his side, his spiky-haired head resting comfortably on Jared’s wide chest.

“I don’t know if I’d be a good mate for you.” Jensen muttered, breaking the silence.

Jared startled, then craned his head to look down at the boy. “What are you talking about? You’re my true mate. We were made for each other.”

“I’m just a kid! What do I know about being an Alpha’s mate? Especially an Alpha like you! You’re an agent for SPAR. That means you’re important. What am I? I’m just a dumb brat who ran away from home and probably caused my friends and family a lot of worry just because I didn’t wanna follow the rules.”

“Jensen, stop. You’re not dumb and you’re not that much of a brat. But you’re my brat so I don't mind.” Jared grinned, hoping to lighten his Omega’s mood.

Jensen snorted, one corner of his beautiful, plush mouth rising in a grudging smile.

Jared hooked one finger under Jensen’s chin and encouraged the teen to look up at him. He waited for the Omega’s stunning green gaze to lock with his before speaking as gently and as honestly as he could.

“I know we don’t know each other very well, but what I have learned about you so far I absolutely adore. For some that fire in you that you call ‘being a brat’ would be daunting and maybe even scary, but I’ve always thrived in challenges.”

“I’m not a normal Omega.”

“I’m not a normal Alpha.”

“So I guess that makes us perfect for each other.” Jensen grinned, his eyes dancing with merriment.

Jared let the hand that was gripping Jensen’s chin drift down to his silky-smooth flat stomach and he rubbed at it in a gentle, yet protective fashion.

“It sure does.” he said.

**EPILOGUE**

The seventeen-year-old boy laughed, green eyes sparkling, as the wolf pup near his head began biting and tugging at his dark-blonde spiky hair.

His laugh ended on a surprised ‘oof’ when the pup’s twin jumped on his stomach.

The teen sat up and grabbed up the attacking pup then flipped him over onto his back and began tickling his stomach. “What do you think you’re doing, you little terrorist?” the teen mock-growled even as the pup beneath his torturing fingers shifted into the human form of a three-year-old little boy with dark brown hair, hazel green and blue eyes, and dimpled chubby cheeks.

The toddler’s squeals were ear-piercing but his giggles were infectious. When his twin sister joined in, her tinkling laughter melted the teen’s heart just as it always had.

Just then, the loud clearing of a throat could be heard behind them. When it was followed by a growled demand for attention, the teen and the two toddlers instantly stopped their play and turned to face the entrance to the play yard.

Standing just inside of the small gate stood the teen’s fathers. One fair with freckles, the other tanned golden with slanted fox-like eyes.

“Hey Dads!” the teen called out. “What’s up?”

The taller of his Dads raised an eyebrow and scoffed. “What’s up? What’s up is that you three are in so much trouble!”

Three-year-old Ross and Trista held onto each other and stepped behind Jeremy as they craned their heads around the Alpha teen’s legs to look at their father with a tinge of worry on their faces.

“We din’t do it.” squeaked Ross, trying to be brave for his younger sister, Trista.

“Was Jemy dun it!” Trista added, working her puppy eyes as hard as she could, even as Jeremy huffed in amused outrage at his baby sister’s willingness to throw him into the wolf’s jaws, so to speak.

Obviously struggling to contain his amusement, Jensen Ackles-Padalecki eyes his three kids, also with a raised brow. “Do you even _know_ what you three are in trouble for?”

Jeremy rolled his eyes even as Jensen scolded, “And don’t roll your eyes at us, Remy!”

Jeremy, Remy to his parents, friends, and the staff at the Yellowstone Murie Wolf Center, but Jemy to his brother and sister, threw his hands up in mild annoyance. “This got old when I was six! Now it’s just embarrassing!” He finished with a little stomp of his right foot.

His Omega father stepped forward with a matching pout on his face. “It may be old to you, young man, but your brother and sister happen to still enjoy it. If this is all too juvenile for you, maybe you should just hurry on up to the center? Uncle DJ’s been looking for you. You’re scheduled to clean out all four wolf houses today and you know it.”

Ross and Trista began whimpering and ran to grab their Alpha father’s legs. One on each side. “We sowwie we spilt the kibble. Don be mad at Jemy, he din’t know!” little Trista wailed. 

“Is Jemy gon’ be spanked?” Ross asked through his tears.

“Oh, you two troublemakers.” their Alpha father crooned reassuringly, as he bent over to scoop them both into his long, strong arms. “We didn’t even know about the kibble, but it’s good that you told the truth. I was just gonna tease you guys about having a tickle party without Daddy and me.”

“Oh.” the twins said at the same time.

“But now it looks like you two have some cleaning to do, just like your big brother here.” their Omega father said, firmly, green eyes locking with green eyes.

Seeing that his Omega father was not going to relent, Jeremy dropped his eyes in compliance but still stomped his way toward the gate, mumbling under his breath.

“What was that? What have I always told you about mumbling your words, Remy?”

“Jensen.” his Alpha father said, lightly admonishing his mate.

“No, Jared. Our son here has been mouthing off a little too much for my liking, lately. You are a Padalecki. If you have something to say, say it out loud. Stop mumbling to yourself like a little brat!”

Jeremy whipped around and stared defiantly back at his Omega father. Eyes snapping green fire, fists balled frustratedly at his sides as his slight frame vibrated with repressed anger.

“Fine! You wanna know what I really think?! I hate this place and I hate that we have to come here every summer because of YOU!” he shouted, while his Alpha fought back a growl that rumbled in his chest, causing the twins to tremble in the Alpha’s arms.

His offspring or not, Jeremy knew his Alpha didn’t like _anyone_ shouting or showing disrespect to his beloved mate. He had witnessed that on more than one occasion in his lifetime.

His Omega father held up one hand to the Alpha and that move alone calmed the growl resonating in the Alpha’s wide chest.

But now that Jeremy was finally saying what he’d been wanting for say for years, he felt he had to continue or burst.

“I like living in the city! All my friends and the activities I like doing are all there! But no, because YOU like to come here and act like a real wolf, I get dragged along whether I like it or not!”

“Why are we only hearing about this now, Remy?” his Omega father asked, looking stunned, the anger he’d previously shown completely gone.

“Because I never thought you’d actually listen to me! Why can’t I just stay with Gran and Gramps when you guys come up here in the summer?”

“‘Cos you’re our son! We are a pack!” his Omega parent exclaimed.

“Well, I hate this pack!” Jeremy snarled before turning and stomping out of the yard.

“Where are you going?!”

“To clean the wolf houses! Where else could I go in this fucking place?!”

Jeremy stomped his way down the path toward the Wolf Center but paused when he rounded the corner of the log house his Alpha father had gotten built for them when he was five. From there, he was able to clearly hear his parents talking.

“You’d better talk to him. It’s like I can’t even reason with him anymore! Did you hear how he talked to me?!”

He could hear his parents entering the house through the back door, and their footsteps as they moved around.

“Hold on, let me put the twins in their room.”

“Is Jemy in twubble, Dad?” asked Ross quietly, the clear sound of fatigue in his baby brother’s voice.

Trista spoke next, sounding just as tired as her twin. “Jemy said a bad word. Daddy gonna spank him.”

“Your big brother was just upset ‘cos he doesn’t like coming to the Park anymore.”

“But why? It’s fun here!”

“He’s just growing up now and he’s an Alpha. Take your nap now and you can play with the wolf pups before dinner, later.”

Two sets of yawns could be heard then after a minute or two, Jeremy could hear his Alpha father re-entering the kitchen where his Omega father had been puttering around.

“They’re down for the count. Are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m just still stewing about Remy.”

“Babe, you need to lighten up on him.”

“Lighten up on him?! Did you _hear_ how he talked to me?! What happened to my sweet boy that would never leave my side?”

Outside, Jeremy flinched at the sound of raw pain in his Omega father’s voice.

He could hear the Alpha comforting the Omega for a good minute or two before speaking.

“You know I’ve always said he’s so much like you. Not just in looks but that stubborn streak, too.”

“He’s a brat just like me.” the Omega laughed.

“I’ll talk to him okay? We’ll work this out. Will you be okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Go on. I know you got that new catch coming in. Do we know who it is, yet?”

“Nope, the Holland Pack was being very secretive when they called to give us a heads up that one of theirs might be heading our way. All they would say was that he was twenty-four years old, unmated, and feeling the need to connect to his wolf on a more substantial level.”

When Jeremy heard his parents kiss and then say goodbyes, he turned and ran down the path toward the Center.

He felt bad about hurting his Omega father’s feelings but at the same time, he felt as if a load had been lifted now that he’d finally told them how he felt about their summer trips.

He didn’t really hate coming to the Center and getting to work with the natural wolves was amazing. But the rest of his time here, he was bored out of his mind.

Sure, he could shift and go running off into the forest, but his parents made him promise to stick to a certain radius around the Center so that they could hear if he got into trouble and needed help.

Sure, there were volunteers and staff he could be friends with, but with all of them being human he had to always guard his words and actions around them.

Sure, Director Olsson, his husband Senior Keeper DJ, and Head Keeper Felicia knew what they really were, but they were too old to hang out with.

Like his parents, Jeremy liked the freedoms that the Center provided for his wolf, but there was just so much nature he could stand. The city was just so much more exciting!

He was hard at work in the ultra-modern wolf house when his father found him.

Gazing at his Alpha with a rueful look on his face, Jeremy tried to apologize.

“Look, Dad… I’m sorry about earlier. I’ll apologize to Daddy at dinner tonight.”

“You’d better.” his Alpha said grimly. “But son, you need to realize something.”

His Alpha father stepped in real close to Jeremy then, locking hazel eyes with Jeremy’s startled greens. “It’s _because_ you are my son that I didn’t rip into you for disrespecting my Omega that way. But don’t think being my son will always keep you safe. I’m an Alpha and you are an Alpha. If you ever hurt him again, you will have me to deal with. Understand?”

Jeremy swallowed nervously before nodding and turning his head slightly to present his neck to the older and stronger Alpha. 

He’d always had respect for his Alpha father but he’d never once made Jeremy feel intimidated or scared. It had been his Omega father that did most of the disciplining for him and his siblings.

His father suddenly grinned until his dimples popped and stepped back. “Okay, good!” he chirped happily. “Now that we got that settled, have I ever told you how much you remind me of your Daddy?”

Jeremy snorted a laugh and couldn’t help another roll of his eyes. “All the time.”

His father reached out to lay a hand on Jeremy’s shoulder and smiled softly down at him. It was then that Jeremy realized he was only about an inch or two shorter than his Alpha father. Which meant he was probably taller than his Omega father now. Another sign that he was growing up and no longer a kid.

“God, I was such a _brat_ earlier! I’m really sorry, Dad. I’ll apologize to Daddy and even do the dishes for a week to make up for it.”

The Alpha laughed and shook his head in wonder. “Your Daddy is probably where you get it from! He was such a brat when he was your age.”

Jeremy laughed.

“Come on, son. I came in here to invite you to go with me to meet our new temp wolf.”

Jeremy nodded eagerly, happy to be back on good terms with at least one of his parents.

Together, they left the wolf house section. It was no longer separated by chain-link fences but instead were grouped in a corner of a three-acre piece of land fenced in by sturdy walls made of stone and steel. The enclosure incorporated a section of a small copse of woods with a small brook meandering through it.

The pure wolves and half breeds were no longer kept apart and mixed and bred as freely as they wanted. It had been Jensen and Jared that convinced the center to let the wolves live more natural lives.

Since then, there had been more births and successful releases into the wild than ever before. The only wolves left of the original groups were Hercules, Jimbo, and Martha. All three ruled all the wolves as one pack, together. Herc and Xena’s son and Jim and Martha’s daughter were the recognized leaders of the pack, but all of them looked to the venerated three for the big decisions.

The keepers and scientists had been amazed at this behavior, seeing as how wolves out in the wild usually abandoned or killed off the old and infirmed. But in this place they were treated like royalty, and each new litter born to the pack grew up adopting the same behavior.

The scientists couldn’t figure it out but Jeremy knew it was because of his Omega father’s influence. He’d heard all the stories about how his Omega father was abnormally close to the Yellowstone pack of wolves. At first, he’d thought his Daddy’s influence on the wolves only extended to their affinity for cheeseburgers. But as he grew older and had gotten a few chances to observe wolves in the wild, he knew his father had done more than that.

The changes had seemed to work for those that were released into the wild. They kept up the practice of respecting and helping the older and injured wolves. The older wolves’ knowledge always helped the younger generations to thrive and even if they couldn’t travel as far or as fast, they still made great den makers and pup-sitters.

The numbers of the most endangered wolves in the wild were steadily growing and it was all thanks to his parents and the people that worked at the Murie Center in Yellowstone Park.

Another aspect of the park was one that wasn’t on the books and only a trusted few knew about.

Like his Omega father, there were werewolves out there who needed to let their wolves out much more often than the city councils allowed. Some get so desperate for the freedom that they take chances in heavily populated areas.

At Yellowstone, Olsson and SPAR with Jared as their representative at the park, brought in werewolves who’d petitioned the park for a stay of no more than two months at a time, yearly.

When they were brought in, they were brought in as captured wild wolves or rescues to avoid raising the suspicions of the other human staff.

This was the first time his father had invited him along to greet a new guest and Jeremy recognized it as the acknowledgment of his being an adult now, and he was bound and determined to prove to his fathers that he could be mature and was no longer a child.

**+++++++++++++++++++++++**

_**TEN MINUTES LATER…** _

Ty and DJ Olsson stood at the top of the path as Jared walked by carrying his Alpha son over one shoulder. The younger Alpha wailing and lamenting to all who would listen.

“MY OMEGA! HE’S MINE, DAD! HE’S MY… Oh hey, DJ… Ty… help me! Tell him to let me goooo! NOOOO, DAD STOP! I WANT HIM, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE!”

Jensen, who had come down to the Center to pick up a report he wanted to read while the twins were napping, rushed down the path to the wolf enclosure when he heard the sound of his eldest, crying and begging.

He slid to a stop on the gravel path when he saw a clearly exasperated Jared walking toward him with their not-that-much-smaller son held securely over one shoulder.

“What in the world is going on?!” Jensen exclaimed.

“I told you… he’s too much like you.” Jared growled.

“I don’t even know what’s happening and this is somehow MY fault?”

“Yes! He got it from you!”

“Got what from me?”

“When either of you sees what you want, you go for it without a care for the consequences. Your son took one look and sniff of our new guest, a Mr. Thomas Stanley Holland, twenty-four years old, from England and oh yeah… an Omega, then decided he had to have him then and there.”

“MINE, HE’S MINE. MY OMEGA!” Jeremy raved.

Twisting his still growing, leanly muscled body around, Jeremy spotted Jensen standing on the path, eyes wide, mouth agape with shock as he watched his eldest seem to revert ten years in age.

“DADDYYYY! I WANT THAT OMEGA!”

THE END

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you soooo much for reading!  
> Please, I'd love to hear from you!  
> Tell me what you thought about this story. 😊😉


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